Consider the following statements on portraiture and on the Deccani Schools of Painting.
(A) Artistic inclinations like those of Mughal portraiture are seen in the Safavid and Ottoman Schools of Painting.
(B) The highly documentary nature of portraits is seen in Asian Islamic art and in Mughal art.
(C) The Deccani school preferred sparse composition and attempted to create an aura of romance.
(D) Art historians acknowledged the uniqueness of the Deccani style and recognised it as a full-fledged school.
How many of the statements given above are correct?
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 2
The correct answer is Option (2) → Two
(A) Artistic inclinations like those of Mughal portraiture are seen in the Safavid and Ottoman Schools of Painting. — Correct. Mughal portraiture was not wholly unique; such inclinations appear in the Safavid and Ottoman Schools.
(B) The highly documentary nature of portraits is seen in Asian Islamic art and in Mughal art. — Correct. This documentary nature is a singularly unique development of Asian Islamic art and of Mughal art.
(C) The Deccani school preferred sparse composition and attempted to create an aura of romance. — Incorrect. The school preferred dense composition, not sparse. The aura of romance is right.
(D) Art historians acknowledged the uniqueness of the Deccani style and recognised it as a full-fledged school. — Incorrect. Historians acknowledged its uniqueness but failed to recognise it as a full-fledged school.
NCERT (2026-27): “The Deccani Schools of Painting …The Deccani style of Painting was placed under the Indo-Persian art for long. … Art historians acknowledged its uniqueness but failed to recognise it as a full-fledged school, which was sustained by a class of rulers, who had their peculiar political and cultural vision. … The art of portraiture and representation of historical and religious figures are seen elsewhere in other contemporary schools of painting. Mughal portraiture, in this sense, was not wholly unique. We see such artistic inclinations in the Safavid and Ottoman Schools of Painting. The highly documentary nature of portraits is a singularly unique development seen extensively in the Asian Islamic art as also in the Mughal art in India.” “The Deccani Schools of Painting …The kingdoms of Bijapur, Golconda and Ahmadnagar developed highly sophisticated and distinct school of court painting. Its unique sensuality and intense colours have strong affinity to regional aesthetics. The school preferred dense composition and attempted to create an aura of romance, which invariably expressed itself in an idiom that was eloquently natural and vivid.” |